Latest News - 'in-house' Interim Managers Saves Nhs 7.1 Million

In-house consultancy said to save NHS 7.1m in fees compared to the use of external Interim's

The NHSs in-house consultancy says it saved the service an estimated 7.1m in consultancy fees in 2011-12.

NHS Interim Management and Support seconds health service staff into different roles at organisations which might otherwise have needed to hire private sector Interim's and consultants.

Last years savings are nearly triple the figure of 2.5m recorded in 2010-11. The savings total was calculated by assessing what an independent consultancy would have charged for the work carried out by IMAS.

IMAS said in 2011-12 the 500 managers and clinicians on its books saved 3m for the Department of Health and 4.1m for trusts in 2011-12.

The organisation recently completed its 150th assignment since being set up in 2008, sending a cancer operations manager to Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester to help it reduce its referral-to-treatment waiting times.

IMAS saw the size of the staff pool it can draw from rise from 346 to 509 between March 2011 and March 2012. It sent 81 staff to help with the development of the NHS Commissioning Board and the NHS Trust Development Authority.

Richard Jeavons, IMAS senior partner, said: During the transition period ahead we expect the experience and expertise of our pool members to be a key tool for NHS organisation to call upon.

The organisation is also responsible for the intensive support teams the DH sends into troubled trusts.

IMAS said its emergency, elective and cancer intensive support teams completed 80 assignments in 2011-12, with it managing an average of 90 live assignments simultaneously.

The assignments typically last six months. IMASs annual report said its savings calculations did not take into account that consultancies can quote for more resource and a longer time frame than we find NHS IMAS assignments require.